Taiwanese component makers are apparently working on the PlayStation 4 and according to a report on DigiTimes, the next instalment of Sony’s console will go into production at the end of the year, sparking rumours that it will be ready to ship by end 2012.

The report also noted that the PlayStation 4 will feature “body movement-based control like Kinect”. If indeed true, it will blow the console market wide open, but leave doubts about Sony’s Move controllers – which they launched last year. But it must be noted that the news is highly speculative.

“Foxconn and Pegatron Technology, assemblers of PS3, will undertake assembly of PS4 as well, the sources pointed out. The planned shipment volume of PS4 in 2012 is at least 20 million units, the sources indicated,” DigiTimes wrote.

In May this year, CFO of Sony Masaru Kato confirmed the development of the unit. “For the home equipment the PS3 still has a product life, but this is a platform business, so for the future platform – when we’ll be introducing what product I cannot discuss that – but our development work is already under way, so the costs are incurred there”.